Recipe

Make Soup

1. In large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven, bring drained beans and water to a boil. Skim off any foam, then add bouquet garni. Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add salt, to taste, once simmering.
2. While soup is simmering, start sautéing vegetables. Cover bottom of large heavy skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and toast for 1 minute. Then, add green and yellow zucchini, bell pepper, celery, leek and onion, and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir mixture into bean pot and bring back to a simmer. Add wine. Cover and simmer over low heat until beans are fork-tender, 60 minutes.

Make Pistou

1. In blender, blend basil, pistachios, olive oil, garlic and lemon zest. Keep chunky; you don’t want it puréed. Together, but loose — like me. Taste to see if it needs a little hit of salt. Set aside.

Make Spread

1. In small bowl, mix together goat cheese and mascarpone.
2. In large pan over medium-low heat, heat olive oil. Working in batches, gently fry sourdough, until lightly browned. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain and cover with big spoon of goat cheese and mascarpone mixture. Hit with a little salt and black pepper.
3. In another small bowl, mix tomatoes and vinegar together. Add a big tablespoon of mixture to top of each sourdough cheese piece.

Assemble and Serve

1. Ladle soup into four bowls. Do what you like: Add a spoonful of pistou, some cheese spread, a big ol’ piece of bread and some grated tomato. Dig in.